I think the author of this posting is complaining about crossing guards (and there are many) who, after the children are safely across, take it on themselves to wave drivers in the side street out while holding the STOP sign in the face of drivers on the main street. I've often wished they wouldn't do that, but someone told me that they do have the authority to do that. I don't know where one would to go find out for sure.

OK, here's something from the saferoutesinfo.org:
"An adult school crossing guard should not direct traffic unless specifically trained as a traffic control officer."

So, maybe the crossing guard that you see regulating traffic is trained to do that, maybe not. The only way to find out is call the school district.

oh yea...if you're talking about the crossing guard for parkside school, you are right on the money...i call him the traffic cop...i think the guard position has gone to his head....lol...i can understand helping the cars come from the school, but not every other minute....let them wait as we all do..

people have to realize that the author of this is NOT upset about the crossing guard making sure our children are safe...we all know our childrens safety is the ultimate priority...nobody is denying that.....he is referring to the guards that think they are traffic cops....i have to go through a school zone 4 times a day, and the same old thing....a cars no sooner gets to the corner, and here is the guard, let them in or out...with No consideration to the rest of us drivers....

There is no problem. Kids need to cross the road. Its also enforcement. Maybe you need to get to the school more than the kids

Geez, nuts, did you read all the comments? No one is complaining about the kids crossing the road, we're talking about the guard going beyond that and directing traffic. Which unless he or she has been trained in that, should not be doing. Some of the crossing guards are on a power trip.

ok here is the problem that happens when there is no traffic HELP!! if the crossing guaard does not help out the crossing traffic then cars will back up on the school side and the opposing side and when they do get a chance to go they will rush across..thus possibly causing a accident because there are not enough people willing to stop to let someone out on rt 352. So fine lets fix the problem and install a red light and stop traffic even longer than the guard would have. would this help you ??? then traffic would really back up on rt 352.....

The other traffice signals along route 352 don't back up the traffic, so how is this one going to back it up. The problem is that Parkside is always crying poor mouth and claim that they can't afford to have a traffic light installed. They would rather have this poor retired old want-a-be-wish-I-were a policeman, crossing guard, do this job, and back up the traffic for no pay. The old man probably gets his jollies knowing that he is finally getting to act out his fantasy as a traffic cop.

dont bash the crossing guards on 352. that is a dangerous place to stop traffic. ever sit there and watch all the idiots drive by and youll see how many people speed in a school zone and nearly hit kids crossing because they are not paying attention.
and parkside doesnt cry poor. geeze how would you know anyway. besides the old fella isnt there right now as our police are there trying to keep our kids safe.

This crossing guard needs to be informed that HE IS THERE TO CROSS THE CHILDREN SAFELY . . . . . No CROSSING GUARD is authorized to direct traffic. I have watched this CROSSING GUARD many many times and he puts 99-percent of his effort into directing traffic and he should be using 110-percent of his effort into getting the children across the street. Many times he just walks right out into moving traffic to stop them to allow another vehicle to make a turn onto the street. Children are walking up to the intersection just as he decides to move out of the middle of the iuntersection as he was stopping traffice for them to turn, and then the children are now standing on the edge of the curb waiting to cross the street.
Yes he is a sweet old man because he waves to people, but I'm more concerned with the safety of the children that he is there to assist crossing the intersection. That is why his vest says CROSSING GUARD

Crossing guards cannot regulate traffic - Traffic can only be regulated by sworn law inforcement personel

This is still a huge safety issue Guard is more concerned with directing traffice instead of seeing that the children get across the street safely

The guard on edgemont at forestview is a total nut ! I have watched him just walk right out into traffice waving his STOP sign and then waves a vehicle to cross the avenue so that they don't haave to wait for a break in traffic. He walks back out of the intersection to his curb perch and children are running to the intersection, he then walks out into traffic again and waves another car to make a left turn but doesn't pay any attention to the children who start to cross the intersection when he walks back to his curb perch. This guard is an accident just waiting to happen. He would be better ssuited to be working in the mall sweeping floors. The children that cross the edgemont ave forestview intersection need a CROSSING GUARD not a TRAFFIC DIRECTOR

you are complaining to the wrong place...if you want to complain go to a board meeting and tell the town leaders and the school board. this is just a forum...

stargazerww you must be one of the mommies that drive your kid to school and cause all the additional traffic and has the crossing guard stopping traffic for you to get back to wawa for another cup of coffee the school board, the police chief, the parkside council all know about this hap-hazard traffic stopper and they don't do a thing about it. CROSSING GUARDS are for seeing that the school children get across the intersection in a safe manner, NOT for you moms that are toooooooo lazy to walk your child to school because you need to get to coffee hour or the gym as quickly as possible having pushing your kid out of the car

Leave the crossing guards alone person trying to make it safe for children to cross a busy intersection if you have a problem with that then you should go to the borough about it.

To the person calling him/herself god: if you'd read this thread you'd see that the original poster and most others ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE CROSSING GUARD CROSSING THE CHILDREN THEY ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT HIS GOING BEYOND HIS DUTIES AND DIRECTING TRAFFIC! If you don't take the time to read things then don't take the time to make comments that don't address the issue.

Now I see God has chimed in on this crossing guard situation.
If the real God had chimed in, he would have zapped that
old foggie crossing guard with a lightning bolt a long time ago.
He would have also made it impossible for those lazy Parkside
stay-at-home moms, to be able to start their cars in the morning
to drive those lazy, spoiled brats the two or three blocks to school.

Then they could justify the crossing guard crossing the kids at the
intersection.

It just goes to show that people do not look at the whole picture before attempting to stand up and protect the want-to-be crossing guard at Parkside School intersection. The pictures shows this old goat stepping right out into moving traffic waving his stop sign so that a vehicle coming into the intersection can turn the corner or cross the intersection without waiting. If the old goat was stopping traffic for the kids to cross it would be one thing, but he shows his priority is to stop traffic for the cars and not the kids. If he wants to direct traffic so bad he should join a fire company and be a fire police.

How come we don't see any reply from the old goat? He reads these and then runs out into the intersection to stop more traffic for the lazy moms not for crossing the kiddies.

I pass Parkside Elementary twice each morning to drop of my daughter at before school care. The speed limit is 15 there. I have never found needing to stop an inconvenience and am glad we have a guard. If the additional 2-3 minutes to get through Parkside is such a cumbersome inconvenience please find an alternative route. And if this is the worst part of your daily commute everyday I truly envy you and you should be giving thanks.

Whenever a car approaches from a side street, this guard switches his sign to a horizontal position, almost like a gate, and practically jumps in front of the next car to immediately stop it to allow the other car to enter the line of traffic. The problem is twofold: he acts suddenly, leaving the approaching car almost no time to prepare to stop for him jumping in front of them and, when he lowers his sign, the next car in line cannot see it and is unprepared to stop so quickly. I have seen him cause an accident where the second car ran into the first car and it was clearly the crossing guard's fault. He should be retrained or replaced. There is no reason why the cars coming from the side streets cannot wait a few moments for him to stop traffic in a safe manner. He makes the intersection more dangerous rather than safer.

Your all right. I hate having 2 minutes wasted in the morning. Why should I have to wait for anyone? I want to go first.

They are not going to do anything about it any way.

For anytjing to happen there would havw tobe a serious consensus of people at a town hall meeting and make a complaint made

Why don't you people leave the man alone so what he stops cars on 352 for side traffic to get across what's the big deal he is only stopping traffic for a whole minute or two like some body else said if you don't like it change your route let's stop the complaining the borough is small one traffic light in this area and that's it.

If there's an accident caused by this bozo stopping traffic, there could be a legal problem. Those who are not authorized to direct traffic should not do it. Town could be sued, crossing guard could be sued, any official who knew about this situation could be sued. Bad news all around.

See comment below.

This old man has no clue how to regulate traffic. On MANY occasions I've seen him hold his stop sign up while there was NO BODY AROUND HIM. He wasn't even paying attention to the traffic backup that he caused. It took him a few seconds to realize he stopped traffic for NO REASON other than his carelessness holding that sign. He is causing frustration to drivers and I have no doubt that he will eventually cause an accident. Either teach him how to properly direct traffic, or TAKE THAT SIGN AWAY FROM HIM!!!

Whoever this old goat reports to needs to get it through his head that he is there to cross the school children safetly across the intersection and he is NOT there to direct traffic. Again this morning he runs out in front of a car just 5 feet from the intersection waving his stop sign and yelling at the driver. NOT a child in site on any sidewalk. He wanted to stop traffic on Edgmont Ave for a car that was coming up the sidestreet with there left turn signal on as if they were going to turn left onto Edgmont Ave once they pulled up to the intersection. Well the car pulls up to the stop sign (finally) and he turns right onto Edgmont Ave with his left turn signal on. Old Goat gives a friendly hand wave to the driver and then walks back to his spot on the sidewalk just waiting to jump out in front of traffic once again for car traffic directing instead of seeing to it that the school children are getting across the intersection safetly.

If only sworn in law enforcement, you better get on the horn to Penn Dot about their "flaggers." Reading the other post I had to giggle, I would love to hear the conversation between the insurance company and the guy who rear ended the car in front of him because th other driver made an abrupt stop, in a school zone too. LOL 15 mph and you still hit some one?! Perhaps you should not tailgate. It doesn't matter if it was a squirrel or a crossing guard the other person stopped for. Also I think this guy is doing a good service, could you imagine being in the south bound lane heading to wards Chester, and having to wait for all the people making a left in to the school. Now that would back up traffic. The only way to fix any of this is to have the township pout in a red light or make it a four way stop. Actually all of these comment would be good to take to the township with a petition

This issue will all ways exist until someone runs over the old guy or he drops dead. So there is no reason to keep complaining about it. Just close the issue.

t